The mastermind behind the possible attacks was named as Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, a leading Al Qaeda figure from Pakistan. He is also alleged to be behind a bomb attack earlier this year on the German Bakery in Pune, India, in which 17 people were killed.
Kashmiri reportedly recruited the men for the latest planned attacks in the Afghan-Pakistani border region. Their identity was not known. German police had been checking visa requests at embassies in Pakistan, India and the UAE in recent days.
Intelligence agents reportedly feared attacks on Christmas markets or similar popular events. The US authorities informed their German counterparts a week ago that the attackers were due to arrive in Germany Nov 22, daily Tagesspiegel wrote in an article to be published Thursday.
Intelligence sources reported that the men were to travel via India and the United Arab Emirates, Tagesspiegel reported.
Published 17 November 2010, 15:20 IST